Attachment for life-boats.



C. H. LANGILL. ATTACHMENT FOR LIFE BOATS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1913.

1 1 08, 84:6 Patented Aug". 25, 1914,

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THE NORRIS PETERYS CO. PHOTOJJTHO. WASHINGTON. D. C.

CHARLES H. LANGILL, OF EAST B'GSTGN, MASSACHUSETTS.

ATTACHMENT FOR LIFE-BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A119. 25, 1914.

Application filed June 27, 1913. Serial No. 776,177.

ZZ whom "it may concern )6 i; rnown that I, GnAnLns H. LANGILL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of East Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Attachments for Life-Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to releasing mechanisms whereby a supported member may be quickly and automatically released from the supporting member when its weight is removed therefrom, the device being particularly adapted for supporting boats on the clavits of a vessel.

The obiect of the invention is to automatically release the boat from the tackle of the davits as soon as the boat settles in the water after being launched.

r-lnothcr object of the invention is to provide such a device with means for compensating for the changes in the condition of the tackle under varying weather conditions.

The invention consists in certain novel eatures of construction and arrangement of parts which will be fully understood by reference to the description of the drawings and to the claims hereinafter given.

.Of the drawings: Figure 1 represents an elevation of a davithaving a tackle suspend.- cd therefrom attached to a boat adapted to be launched thereby, a portion of said boat being broken in section. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the improved releasing device shown attached to a portion of a boat. Fig. 3 represcn s an end elevation of the same. Fig. l represents a section through the compensating device, the cutting plane being on line d on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 represents a section through the hook, the cutting plan-c being on line on Fig. 2. Fig. 6 represents an elevation of said releasing hook, having suspended therefrom a chain supported load.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawlngs.

.Ln the drawings, 10 represents a davit having secured thereto the usual tackle 11 from whioh is suspended an ordinary moused hook 12. J11 the hook 12 is positioned an eye 13 to which is swiveled a supporting member 1 1 having at its lower end a bearing 15 at right angles to the line of support of said member 1 1. Positioned within the hearing 15 is the shank 16 of a hook 17, said hook 17 having a flat link-engaging surface 18 formed thereon. To the outer end of the shank 16 a weight 19 is secured by a screw 20 or some similar means. This weight is at one side of the plane of said hook and supporting member so that when no load is on the hook 17 the weight 19 will turn said hook 17 into its releasing position as indicatedin dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The weight 19 coacts with a lug 21 projecting from the supporting member 14 to retain it in an inclined position when the hook 17 is supporting a load.

Normally suspended uponthe hook 1.7 is a link 22 having a straight portion 23 engaging the flat surface 18 of said hook. The

weight of this link is greater than the weight 19 and when engaging the hook 17 it Wlll retain the weight against the lug 21. The

. lower end of the link 22 is positioned. within a slot 2 1- in a member 25 secured to the thwart 26 of the boat 27 resting normally in cradles has secured thereto a collar orguide member 29 surrounding the slotted member 25 and serving as a guide for the link 22 as it moves longitudinally of said slotted member. When the boat 27 ismounted in the cradles 28 and the tackle 11 changes its condition under varying conditions of the weather the link 22 will reciprocate vertically on the slotted member 25 thereby permitting the end of said. link 22 to remain engaged with the hook 17 without disengagement there from. As soon as it is desired to launch the boat and the tackle is operated to lift the boat 27 from the supports or cradles 28 the weight of the boat will be suspended from the hook 17 of the tackle by means of the link 22. it being obvious that while only one davit, tackle and connecting mechanism is shown, the same parts are duplicated at opposite ends of the boat. As soon as the boat has been lowered and reaches the surface of the water the member 22 will come in contact with the lower end of the slot 24: and will be lifted thereby separating the cross member 23 of the link from the flattoned surface 18, thereby permitting the weight 19 to turn the hook 17 into its releasing position. It is obvious that in this manner the boat will be released from the davits automatically.

The supporting member 1-1 is provided with an eye 30 to adapt the releasing device to many other uses, as, for instance, the sup- The lower end of the link 22- stood.

port of a box, 0 ate, or other weighted member 31 when it is desired to load or unload the vessel. l/Vhen thus used a hook 32 on the end of a chain 33 is attached to the eye 80 and preferably the chain is provided with a plurality of rings 34 through one of which at the proper point the other end of the chain is passed, said other end being provided with a link 35 adapted to be passed over the hook 17, It is self-evident that as longas this load is suspended from the hook 17 the latter will be retained in operative position, but as soon as in the lowering of the 1021 d the latter reaches a supporting platform the link 35 will be lifted suiiiciently to permit the weight 19 to act and turn the hook into its releasing position, thereby permitting the link 35 to slip off from said hook 17.

It is believed that from the foregoing description the operation and many advantages of this invention will be fully undcr- Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device. of the class described, the combination of a supported member having a bearing in its lower end vperpendicular to the'line of support; a hook member having ashank positioned in saidvbearing in which it is adapted to oscillate and provided with a flat link-engaging surface adapted when sustaining a weight to retain said hook in en- 'end with a ring gaging position; and a weight on the end of said shankat one side of the plane of said supported member and said hook when in engaging position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a supporting hook adapted to be retained in supporting position by the load thereon and having a shank in the same plane therewith; a weight on said shank to move said hook into releasing position when the load is removed from said hook; a load supporting member; and a link movable lengthwise thereof adapted to engage said hook, said link being provided near its lower surrounding said load sup porting member.

3.111 a device of the'class described, the combination of a supporting hook adapted to be retained in supporting position by the load thereon and having a fiat surface perpendicular to the plane of said hook; a

weight to move said hook into releasing position when the load is removed from said hook; a load supporting member; and a hnk movable len tllWlSG thereof havin a stral ht c: O C

end adapted to engage the fiat surface of said hook.

Signed by me at 42 Post Or'lice Sq, Boston,

,Mass, this 24th day of June, 1913.

CHARLES H. LANGILL. Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOMBARD, NATHAN C. LOMBARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

